The Basics (Galactic Alliance)

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Sullust was one of the last places in the galaxy that Cyril would have expected to find himself. Yet here he was on, this volcanic mess the Sullustans called a planet. The planet's exterior reminded him far too much of Mustafar and all the unhappy memories that went with it. Sullust, of course, only resembled that terrible place. The Jedi Master found that world beneath the planet's surface was far more agreeable.

The Galactic Alliance had drawn his attention. The promise of something better - something he could fight and perhaps die for - was far too tempting. The Republic had not so much failed him as it had ceased to be his home. In truth, it never really was, though he'd tried to make it so. His Jedi brethren had been an entirely different breed than his own. They had different teachings, beliefs, and values. Their love for inexperienced leadership, the kind that allowed one who had been a Sith Lord just months ago to ascend to the Council, had soured the former lord of Ession's disposition. They were Jedi, but they were not his people.

Now Naboo and Ession both stood on the precipice of attack. It would be a simple move for the One Sith to turn its attentions to the world his sister and niece called home. Especially given its current state - the death of his mother had left Naboo without a leader. Ession was waiting to be razed by the Primeval. It was only a matter of time.

So Cyril Grayson had pledged himself the Galactic Alliance, as well as its own sect of the Jedi Order. As of now, there were no great battles to fight, or political ties to be made. The galaxy needed a new generation of guardians. Men and women with a different view on things and an open mind. It was only natural that he volunteered to train whatever force sensitives the alliance could throw at him, be they Jedi hopefuls or otherwise.

He stood in what passed for a training area. In reality it was an old Sullustan's gym that he'd opened up for the GA's use. The various pieces of equipment that formerly inhabited the massive room were either swept to the side, or stored away in another section of the facility. In their place stood a myriad of combat droids, ranging from replicas of the ancient B-1 battle droids to the more advanced hand-to-hand proxy units. Cyril would have commissioned something more modern, but the alliance could not afford to spare what few combat droids it had.

He watched the doors intently from his place on the floor; awaiting his supposed students. One might mistake him for a personal trainer rather than a Jedi, save for the four lightsabers hanging from his belt. He was clad in a sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off, and some very comfortable sweatpants. Excessive clothing restricted movement, and you rarely got the chance to dress casually as a traditional Jedi.

He'd tried to meditate, but peace eluded him. He was too anxious to meet these strangers. He hadn't trained anyone since Armand; would he be able to slip back into the swing of things?

There was only one way to find out.

[member="Chevu Visz"], [member="Nyx"] [member="Roth Tillian"]

 

[Roth Tillian]

Training. Jedi training. The thought almost made Roth grimace, except he knew he'd need it. Need it more than most folks his age raised in a Force using sect, as he had failed his Defender trials and then got shunted off to the Ring Defenders and Susefvi Defense Force to try and hide it. A Tillian, fail the trials? And then his cousin exiled? Too much scandal in such a tight society, so he had never really gone back. Yet here he was, on Sullust, for more training. There were too many Sith ravaging the galaxy to not train now. Originally, it had not been a concern. He didn't need much training on Susefvi to be a normal Ring Defender. His piloting skills were what counted, but now with more high stakes possibilities, it was time to improve.

So now he sauntered into the assigned gym, doing a double take at the man inside. He seemed like a fitness nut in strange clothes except for the lightsabers. It appeared he was in the right place after all. He stepped in and slipped out of his jacket, tossing it on the floor, and adjusting his gunbelt across his waist so it wouldn't ride so low. He was in his normal clothes, the armored ones from Abregado-Rae industries. They were what he always wore in potentially dangerous situations, so he figured he might as well train in them.

"Are you Cyril Grayson?" He called out to the man, twisting his back to stretch it out, "I'm Roth Tillian." He eyed the lightsabers. "Been a while since I've done much of this. My Force practice lately has mostly been piloting."

[member="Cyril Grayson"]

 

[Choli Vyn]

With her ride in the area - Chloe that is, as the Aurora Hawk was their home - Choli found herself peddling along the Alliance territories. In this, came the opportunity to learn from other masters. Apparently, there was this New Jedi Order running about. She didn't know much about it, or if this particular master was part of it, but she knew that they were attempting to work along with the Jedi Academy.

As a member of the Jedi Academy, that interested her. So here she was. Scratching her cheek, she wandered into the area, giving a glance around.

Huh... where to start?

 

[Nyx]

Nyx was thirteen when the Sith invaded Coruscant. Young enough to not care who was in charge, but old enough to know that they were bad news.
Maybe that was why she joined the Alliance. Maybe she was sick of seeing the Sith banner on her home.
Maybe it was finding out her sister was one of them. Maybe it was seeing what the Sith had done to the girl, seeing the hollow shell of a person they had made her sister.
Or maybe she was just sick of freelancing.

For whatever reason, she found herself walking towards a gym for some training from a Jedi Master. The girl sighed and straightened her jacket as she entered, spotting someone else already there. Well, she knew there would be, and she had a bit of trouble finding this place.
She approached, her usual arrogant smirk on her face.
"The name's Nyx. I'm supposed to learn some stuff from you."​

[member="Roth Tillian"][member="Cyril Grayson"]

 

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Cyril had to remind himself not to spread his Jedi teachings. He was not here to preach, or sway someone's religious views. Only to teach them how to use their gifts in a way that might benefit themselves, the Alliance, and its citizens. In a way, wasn't that what the Jedi were inclined to do anyway?

Where he would have bowed to one of his brethren, He smiled at [member="Roth Tillian"]. "Good to meet you, Roth," He pushed up to his feet. "Been awhile since I've taught, so this'll be a learning experience for the both of us." The Jedi Master's smile grew into a good-natured grin. "No point having the knowledge if you don't pass it on to anyone."

Cyril didn't know a thing about those he'd offered to teach. He was not the type to pry, though his instincts told him Roth wasn't the Jedi type. Then again, what Cyril associated with Jedi was entirely different from the perspectives of most. He parted his lips to speak, but the arrival of another stole his attentions.

"Figure you are, Nyx. My name's Cyril. I was a master in the Jedi Order, until it stopped being what I swore my oaths to." He paused. "Give me a rundown of what you two know, and what you're looking to learn."


Meanwhile, a massive figure shrouded in a heavy brown robe wandered the grounds around the gym. It had the gait of a predator on the prowl, and seemed anything but friendly. Shlurk was not entirely pleased with his current assignment. There was no blood to be spilled here - no assassins trying to kill someone of importance. His oaths and loyalty were to master Grayson, and lately that made life rather dull. He would need to sneak offworld for a hunt soon, lest he lose his mind the to monotony of a well functioning society.

Currently, he was to direct any 'students', as Cyril called them, to the gym. The aging Graug was well equipped for the job - force sensitives were to him like meat was to a Nexu. That did not mean he enjoyed it.

"Wasting time." He grumbled to himself. He began to growl his grievances for the fourth time this evening when something picked up on his mental radar. A young woman, wandering nearby. He turned his attentions to [member="Choli Vyn"]. "You here for the lesson girl?" He growled, beady yellow eyes peering out from the folds of the cloak. "It's in the gym." He pointed a clawed finger at the building.

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

As Chevu scanned the training room of all its different faces, the Mirialan Jedi Knight wondered if any of the other students at the Sullustan gym had the same strange path to the Jedi as she. Originally an orphan and a handmaiden to a Republic senator, Chevu was kidnapped and almost sold into slavery by the Hutt Cartel. Instead, a Jedi Master, sensing her Force abilities, bought and freed her, offering her the chance to train with him on Sullust. Nub Oomomo was a strange and reclusive creature, half-senile and cryptic sometimes, but his knowledge of the Force was awe-inspiring. The withered old Sullustan trained her for a year, and at the end of her training when he himself fell sick with a mysterious illness, pronounced her a Jedi Knight.

Looking around at all of the other students, such as [member="Nyx"] and [member="Roth Tillian"], Chevu began to suspect that her promotion was premature.

The fact that the trainer mentioned that he had previously been a Master of the Jedi Order (Did he mean the Republic Jedi Order?) did nothing to quell the Mirialan's nerves, nor her feelings of inadequacy. Her jet black hair tied back in a loose ponytail, Chevu stood with her hands on her hips, clad in her training clothes, a white tank top, loose black pants, and camouflage-patterned combat boots. Unsure of what she would need, she brought Master Oomomo's lightsaber, which was clipped to a gear belt that was slung around her hips.

Her dark black pools arose to face the trainer named [member="Cyril Grayson"]. The Mirialan was highly intelligent, but straightforward and serious, so much so that [member="Coren Starchaser"]'s jokes often went right over her head.

"Master Grayson," she said with a bow. "My name is Chevu Visz. I'm here to learn the Way of the Mynock."

[member="Choli Vyn"]

 

[Roth Tillian]

Roth returned Cyril's grin with a that signature starfighter jockey's smile of his. "Wonderful! We can all learn together." He paused as others spoke to stretch himself out and get loose. That was very important, especially for him, since he spent so much time sitting in cockpits or simulators. Very easy to stiffen up and then everything suffered, especially the whole walking thing. He studied the others that were coming in. There were definitely some interesting folks here, of various skill levels and signatures. One of them, Nyx, if he heard correctly, seemed almost dark. That wasn't his problem though. He wasn't responsible for anyone else, not like he would be in a starfighter squadron. Here he was simply a student again. That was almost a relief.

Way of the Mynock? He squinted at that. Which one was that? He really couldn't remember. Had Veino worked on that one? He scrunched his eyebrows together. Oh well. That was a long time ago. He'd probably pick it up in time. What did he know? That was a good question. He hadn't exactly been too regular on training. Not when he was busy flying. It seemed more important. He did regret that now. Maybe he should rearrange his priorities.

"Well," He began, "I'm proficient in stealth," He held up a finger to go through them, "And sense, but know telekinesis, persuasion, and illusion less. Telekinesis I work on in my own time. It's not hard. Don't know lightsaber forms near as well, but have basics of forms one and five." He paused to consider, "And I think I want to work on those core skills of sense, stealth, and movement before working on persuasion and illusion."

 

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"It's good to meet you. Chevu." He offered a slight bow. Seeing as she'd done so, it was only right to do the same."I most certainly can help you with that. It's one of my favorites actually. Something all Jedi should at least be proficient in; better to defend ourselves than start taking heads." He cracked a thin, albeit warm smile.

His attentions momentarily shifted Roth. He remained respectfully silent as the pilot listed of what he knew. It wasn't a bad repertoire, though it wasn't exactly great either. Of course, Cyril favored being the center of attention in combat, whereas Roth seemed to enjoy not being shot at by six people at a time.

Different strokes for different folks.

"I think you might benefit from learning a bit of form three as well, Roth. It's all about keeping yourself alive with minimal effort. The lazy man's form. I specialize in it." He snickered. "I'm afraid I can't help much on illusion. I was never great at manifesting things with the force, but mental persuasion is something I can help you capitalize on, as well as expanding your senses and bodily manipulation with the Force." The Jedi Master drew in a deep breath. Sometimes he found that he could be a bit long-winded.

His gaze then fell upon Nyx. The woman had a darker aura to her. Where Cyril saw other Jedi as islands within the massive ocean that was the Force, he saw Sith and their cohorts as hurricanes. Nyx seemed more similar to the latter.

"These droids will assist me in teaching you how to swing your glowsticks correctly." He motioned toward each of the automatons. The proxy droids stood up abit straighter as the mention; the others continued to slouch. "As we progress you'll practice with one another using some of the more archaic lightsabers - unless you own weapons have the option to lower in strength. I know a lot of the newer types lack the feature."

He cast a long look over the group. He was missing something important. What was it?

The Jedi Master fell silent as he slipped into his thoughts. It was something his former master, long since deceased rest his soul, had said about teaching. Some small shred of wisdom that was supposed to make a world of difference.

Oh, yes, that was it.

'Before we begin, if you've any question about me, any concerns, or just feel the desire to actually meet one another, then by all means, ask away." He paused. At this point, if he were still a young(er) man, he'd be wondering where this stranger had come from. "I was a loyal knight of the Republic for the better part of fifteen years, so you don't need to go worryin' that I was some crazed hermit before joining the NJO."

[member="Roth Tillian"] [member="Chevu Visz"] [member="Nyx"] [member="Choli Vyn"]

 

[Choli Vyn]

W-ellll... Okay! Not sure if that guy is a grouch but, to be honest, it really didn't matter. Cho had some thick skin, and she was rather curious what all of this would lead to. Off to the gym she went.

To her surprise, Mr. Gruff voice was to be the one conducting the lesson. Interesting...

Out in the back, with her hands in her pocket, Choli would listen to the instructions. Oh, they were using droid trainers. Without further ado, Choli took out her training saber. It was a small basic thing. Nothing fancy. But it did its job well. She didn't build it herself, she was gonna wait on that until a little later. This one was borrowed, but she was fully willing to test out some practice.

Most of her training dealt with the use of the Force and little saber fighting. Master Morlandt had his specialties, as did Chloe, who was more apt to use Force body enhancing techniques to fight hand to hand than anything else. This would be a new thing.

Awesome.

 

[Adele Adonai]

[member="Cyril Grayson"] [member="Choli Vyn"] [member="Roth Tillian"] [member="Chevu Visz"] [member="Nyx"]

The Jedi Healer was only here to observe.

She had come to the training to watch the padawans and knights interact, and perhaps, learn more from them in regards to their personality and their true virtues. She was also here in the event someone were to accidentally find harm. The students would start to collect and assemble around Master Grayson, and Adele sat herself down. Quietly, ice blue listless eyes would mull over this generation of Jedi.

Where would they go? What will they do? Who will they touch through the Force and what will that impact be? It was so early to tell, and while she had no precognitive abilities like Master Draclau, she felt that there was notable promise here.

It all started with them, the padawans.

The future of the New Jedi Order, of the Alliance, was in their hands.

 

[Chevu Visz]

"I look forward to learning your techniques, Master Grayson." Chevu told her teacher. Her lightsaber snapped into her hand, and she put the setting on low. She supposed that meant that Master Oomomo's lightsaber was archaic. It didn't surprise her. She didn't even know exactly how old the Sullustan was, and the number changed depending on what day you asked him, but it was clear he had been around a long time.

Soresu's big strength was defense, and it would nicely compliment her use of the Makashi form. Soresu was a survival form, for those who needed to go the long haul with an opponent.

Igniting the green blade, Chevu practiced the opening stance of the form, one arm moved back, with her blade angled forward. Her offhand was raised in a challenge, almost pointing at the opponent, or in this case, the row of droids. She figured that the first few velocities would involve the deflection of blaster fire. Once she was satisfied her form was correct, the Mirialan lunged out with a few practice strikes, emerald blade singing through the air.

[member="Adele Adonai"] [member="Choli Vyn"] [member="Cyril Grayson"] [member="Roth Tillian"] [member="Nyx"]

 

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(Waited a few days for replies. Going to post now.)

"I'll do my best not to disappoint." Cyril replied as he shifted his attentions [member="Adele Adonai"], if only for a moment. He acknowledged the woman's presence with a small nod, and dove into his lesson.

"I see you've read up the form." He mused as Chevu went through the motions. He cracked an amused little smile. "As for the rest of you...Form three, Soresu, is your ticket to survival under the most dire of circumstances. It revolves around minimizing your body exposure and using as little effort as possible to defend yourself. In short, Soresu is the waiting game." He paused, looking over those present.

Another had made her way inside. He bowed his head slightly as a manner of greeting [member="Choli Vyn"] and continued. "You'll notice Miss Visz has a grasp of the opening stance. Note the way she pulls her arm back to reduce her body exposure. The key to Soresu is making yourself as small as possible in order to realistically repel blaster fire, or lightsabers from all angles in a quick and efficient manner." He motioned toward the B-1 battle droids. "The goal is to remove all distraction from the mind. Soresu requires a complete understanding of your surroundings, otherwise you'll end up flailing around and getting yourselves killed."

Each of the droids slowly came to life. Some were quicker than others. Eventually, all six managed to straighten up to their full height. They hefted blasters of all kinds donated by kind souls. All were modified by the GA's engineers to be non-lethal, providing little more than a painful sting upon contact with skin.

"These droids have been modified for training purposes. The blasters will do little more than cause a bit of a pinch. However, if any of you feels as if they are in danger, or is not confident in their own abilities enough to train with battle droids, please let me know." He paused. "Those of you with lightsabers, please produce them and take the stance. For those of you lacking blades, I've brought a few of my own."

[member="Chevu Visz"], [member="Roth Tillian"], [member="Nyx"]

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Cyril Grayson"]

Choli gave a nod, following the direction of the Master to review Miss Visz grasp of the opening stance. Taking her own training saber, the young mech would mimic the movement. She wasn’t very good, but one has to learn one way or another. Everyone begins somewhere.

So it was about making oneself as small as possible. Okay, she could do that. I’m tiny enough as it is already…

This type of form was to allow one to realistically repel blaster fire; not something she should do on a ship - Chloe would rap her on the head! But at least if she was out in the open or planetside, she knew what she could do.

Now as for removing all distractions from her mind…

Well that was a bit more difficult, Choli, having worked with Jan and Chloe on the Aurora, constantly working on hyperdrives and all manners of tech made her well used to having white noise in the background. Finding a time to have a clear mind was a bit more daunting than the mere stance…

[member="Chevu Visz"] [member="Roth Tillian"] [member="Nyx"]

 

[Roth Tillian]

Roth listened and observed, trying to seem nonchalant. It'd been ages since he had had lightsaber training outside of his own practice. This felt really strange, to say the least. He took his lightsaber out though, adjusting the power down to its lowest setting. Newer sabers didn't have the feature? What were people teaching their students these days? That was standard for Jensaarai. But then again, Jensaarai got their lightsabers much earlier than Jedi did. They needed it just to be safe, relatively speaking. It was certainly an interesting contrast between the two.

He eyed the opening form carefully though. It seemed extremely open and vulnerable and the arm position limited the amount of options available in response to attacks. He frowned at it thoughtfully. This was a defensive survival form. Why did it start with the body almost completely exposed. He cleared his throat.

"Quick question. That seems like a very exposed opening stance." He shifted to pick it up, testing his range of movement. "Isn't that a risk that works against the point of defense?" He wasn't trying to be disrespectful or arrogant. It just seemed like a major risk to start such a defensive stance with his entire body exposed. Maybe if it was a more aggressive stance that would start out with a quick lunge to seize the initiative, that would make sense. But this? He had a strange feeling he was going to get shot using this stance.

 

[Adele Adonai]

[member="Roth Tillian"] [member="Choli Vyn"] [member="Cyril Grayson"] [member="Chevu Visz"]

The Jedi Knight would grant an incline of her head in regards to the acknowledgment given to her by Master Grayson. It was a curious thing, to watch the students go through the first lessons of lightsaber forms. She herself did not have an advanced skill with the saber, but she had mastered the basics. Her focus lay elsewhere, in a support role, and that was completely fine with A'dele.

Everyone had their strengths, and it benefited the Alliance that all should excel in them. No one would be considered unimportant, each would have a role to play. The Alliance would find a solid foundation in ensuring this philosophy was kept throughout its domain, not only for the Force users, but for those untouched by the Force as well.

Being aware that there were more than Force users capable of making a difference was a mentality that had to remain in order for their success.